The Last Punch, Saved for the Captain

The open space in the center of the arena is a risk for anyone who steps in first.

Tang San had already left hidden lines on both sides using Blue Silver Grass. Dong Jian couldn't see which direction the grass vines would tighten from next time. The Yin-Yang Mountain Domain could only tell him that the ground's forces had changed, but it couldn't read Tang San's choice for him.

Yu Tianheng also saw the open space, but did not rush forward immediately.

Dai Mubai was right opposite him, his shoulder and chest armor torn in two places, yet he could still steadily parry his punches. Ning Rongrong's buffs were still active, and the supplies provided by Oscar meant that the remaining Shrek members weren't completely exhausted. If either side rushed out rashly at this moment, they could be caught off guard and taken down by the other side.

"I'll go," Yu Tianheng said in a low voice.

Dong Jian heard this but didn't ask if he should wait for him to take the call first. The captain should decide where to call.

Tang San made the first move.

Blue Silver Grass suddenly rose from the middle section, wrapping around the outer side of the Shi Mo Tortoise Shell; at the same time, Xiao Wu circled around to Dong Jian, while the Eight Spider Lances opened a diagonal line in front. Tang San knew very well that Dong Jian would prioritize dealing with the healing chain and the array path. Once he returned to the middle to replenish the ranks, Shrek's two close-range paths could then be inserted behind Li Man.

But this time, Dong Jian only retreated to the side of the Shi Mo.

Xiao Wu kicked horizontally, and he blocked the force of her knee strike, his shoulder moving aside to avoid a second spin. Xiao Wu then tried to use Soft Skills by touching her wrist, but Dong Jian withdrew his hand and stepped back. Her attack didn't miss too much, forcing Dong Jian to step back half a step, but he still didn't rush towards the grassy path Tang San had left.

"Rongrong, to the left side of the bamboo formation." Tang San changed his mind.

Ning Rongrong's buff landed on Zhu Zhuqing. Zhu Zhuqing dodged past Osler and directly pressed towards Li Man's left. At the same time, Ma Hongjun placed the fire line there, preparing to force her to cut off another lane.

Li Man saw it very clearly.

If this bamboo path is defended, the fire will follow the contamination points to the backup line; if it is abandoned entirely, Ye Lingling will have one less safe escape route. Without hesitation until the last moment, she proactively disconnected the main path, leaving a very short alternative connection behind the Shi Mo.

When Zhu Zhuqing rushed past the abandoned area, she found herself still Shi Mo the size of a tortoise shell away from Ye Lingling.

"She's moved to the inside," Zhu Zhuqing immediately reminded her.

Tang San nodded, and the grass vines naturally blocked the hind leg of the tortoise shell.

Li Man didn't open any new nodes, she just shouted, "Shi Mo, lift your left foot half an inch."

The Shi Mo was used as instructed, but the vines wrapped around the edge of the tortoise shell, failing to completely immobilize his feet. Zhu Zhuqing decisively retreated to avoid being blocked on the inside by Dugu Yan's newly gathered poisonous mist.

The Imperial Fighting Team didn't achieve a decisive victory; they merely secured their place in the final battle.

Dong Jian's right shoulder ached, and he raised his arm more slowly than at the start. Li Man's fingers were also trembling slightly. Both of them knew that if they played a few more rounds in a row, there would still be moments they couldn't handle.

Tang San did not stop.

He had Xiao Wu press Dong Jian again, bringing Dai Mubai and Yu Tianheng's head-on collision closer to the center. The Shrek's front row suddenly tightened simultaneously, with the Blue Silver Grass blocking Yu Tianheng's retreat route from the rear, while the Eight Spider Lances formed temporary support on the other side.

"He's going to sandwich the team leader," Dong Jian said.

Yu Tianheng heard this and turned around, but only half of his eyes were visible.

"Don't come. I'll stay where you are."

Dong Jian stopped.

Yu Tianheng's Fourth Soul Ring lit up, and the power of his Thunder Dragon Body extended from his right arm to his shoulder and chest, and then to his legs. He did not directly chase Dai Mubai's chest, but instead took a step to the left, forcing Tang San to change the length of the two grass paths he had prepared.

Dai Mubai immediately went to greet him.

The tiger's claws collided with the Thunderclap, and both were pushed back half a step by the recoil. Taking advantage of the situation, Tang San made the grass vines tighten towards Yu Tianheng's legs, and Yu Tianheng, who was about to launch a second attack, suddenly felt his feet slip.

Xiao Wu wanted to deliver a finishing blow from the side, but the Shi Mo rushed forward and blocked Dai Mubai's retreat.

Shi Mo noticed that Dai Mubai's heels were very close to the edge of the broken bricks in the center of the arena, so he stepped forward and occupied that area. Dai Mubai could not retreat along the original route and had to devote some of his attention to the tortoise shell.

Upon seeing this handover, Dong Jian finally had something to do.

He blocked Xiao Wu's momentum as she lunged at the Shi Mo, using the brief turning motion to move himself aside and let her pass from the outside. Xiao Wu stopped in time, avoiding being thrown off, but she couldn't help Dai Mubai in the split second the Shi Mo was vying for position.

Tang San immediately changed his target.

The Eight Spider Lances rose from the ground, blocking the direction Dong Jian was retreating. Upon seeing the poisoned tips, Dong Jian immediately stopped Momentum Shift and stomped hard on the broken bricks. His shoulders ached from the force of the sudden stop, but he still didn't use his hands to block the spear tips.

Tang San used this opportunity to squeeze into the center line, while the Blue Silver Grass simultaneously rolled towards the space between Shi Mo and Yu Tianheng.

That was a very accurate move.

If the Shi Mo gets stuck, it can no longer hold the position for the captain; if Dong Jian comes to help, Tang San can use the Eight Spider Lances to lure him to the other side.

Li Man suddenly removed the last section of the bamboo path leading directly to the Shi Mo.

Shi Mo felt the array's core beneath his feet loosen, freeing him from his habit of trying to move along the original path. He took a small step sideways, the tortoise shell still blocking Dai Mubai's side, while Tang San's grass vine, which was intended to hold both of them at the same time, only wrapped around a corner of the open space.

"Don't go back that way," Li Man said.

Yu Tianheng already understood.

He didn't return to the original path of the Shi Mo, but stepped directly in front of Dai Mubai. The last part of the Thunder Dragon Body exploded and pressed down on his right fist. Dai Mubai gritted his teeth and met the attack, his tiger claw also drawing out its remaining power.

Fist and claw collided.

Dai Mubai's shoulders slumped back half an inch, but he didn't fall. The stone bricks beneath their feet shattered once more. Ning Rongrong's amplification allowed him to maintain his footing, and Tang San also provided timely support with a grass vine.

Dong Jian saw Tang San's vines extending behind Dai Mubai and raised his foot to stop them, but the Eight Spider Lances blocked his way once again.

"Don't touch the spear," Li Man said.

Dong Jian didn't touch it. He simply moved to the side, forcing the Shrek melee fighter who was originally going to collide with the Shi Mo to change direction. The man's momentum swept over Dong Jian as he began to retreat, and neither of them was knocked down. However, the Shi Mo gained half a breath more to stabilize its tortoise shell.

In this half-breath, Tang San must choose between two places.

Should we continue using the vines to support Dai Mubai, or first pull Zhu Zhuqing back from Dugu Yan's poisonous area? Zhu Zhuqing wasn't seriously injured, but she was very close to the border, and if Osler blocked her again, she might be eliminated.

Tang San chose to protect Dai Mubai first.

He judged that Yu Tianheng's next punch would be the most dangerous, and this judgment was correct.

However, Li Man's withdrawal allowed Yu Tianheng to change his attack position. Yu Tianheng, who was originally directly in front of the grass vines, has now moved to the side of Dai Mubai. The grass vines can still hold Dai Mubai, but the direction of the force is no longer consistent with the center of gravity he really needs to stabilize.

Dai Mubai sensed something was wrong and immediately tried to switch feet.

Yu Tianheng's fist had already arrived.

There were no new Soul Skill, only the final powerful attack of the Thunder Dragon Body. He struck the spot where Dai Mubai's armor was already damaged, forcing the opponent to retreat three steps, with the last step crossing the safety line at the edge of the arena.

The referee raises his hand.

"Dai Mubai is out of bounds!"

Yu Tianheng himself was also thrown to one knee by the recoil, and his right arm was temporarily unable to be raised. He did not chase after the enemy out of bounds, but first used the tortoise shell handed to him by the Shi Mo to stabilize his body.

Shrek did not lose his fighting spirit because of this.

Tang San immediately retrieved the Blue Silver Grass and mobilized Xiao Wu and Zhu Zhuqing to attack from both sides, hoping to take advantage of Yu Tianheng's inability to continue throwing punches at full power and regain control of the situation. Dong Jian waist was sore, Li Man's formation was also nearing its end. The Imperial Fighting Team could not relax just because Dai Mubai had been eliminated.

The next round was exceptionally difficult.

Xiao Wu dodged around the Shi Mo, and Dong Jian blocked her twice before being pulled back half a step by her Soft Skills, injuring his shoulder again; Osler and Zhu Zhuqing fought from the center of the arena all the way to the edge, and both of them slowed down; Tang San used his Eight Spider Lances to hold his position, and Blue Silver Grass still tried to separate Yu Tianheng from the back row.

After two treatments, Ye Lingling's face had turned pale. She said, "If we delay any longer, our recovery won't keep up."

"I know." Dugu Yan withdrew most of the poison, leaving only a narrow strip to protect her.

The Shi Mo shielded Yu Tianheng from Tang San's pressure from the grass vines, causing a piece of the tortoise shell to crumble. Yu Tianheng used that brief moment to regain his footing. His right arm no longer had much power to unleash, but his left hand could still clench into a fist.

Tang San saw this and understood that Imperial Fighting Team could no longer unleash such Thunderclap strike as before.

So he decided to let Shrek continue to stall, waiting for the support amplification and supplies to turn the tide in terms of numbers.

Li Man did not deploy any new large formations.

She handed the remaining two array eyes to Shi Mo and Ye Lingling respectively, allowing Dugu Yan's poison zone to shrink along the retreat route. Dong Jian stopped chasing Tang San and only focused on intercepting the physical contact that forced the healing system forward.

The seven members of the Imperial Fighting Team squeezed together into a small structure that could move slowly.

Shrek could still attack, but it was difficult for them to directly touch Ye Lingling again. While organizing his teammates to change angles, Tang San noticed that Ning Rongrong and Oscar's Soul Power consumption was also approaching the limit of maintaining high intensity. Ma Hongjun's fire line in front was too dense, and he was starting to struggle with continuous release.

He tried again to use Blue Silver Grass to pull away Imperial Fighting Team's back row, but Yu Tianheng took the initiative to move closer to his position with the Shi Mo. Even without the eruption of Thunderclap, it was enough to force Tang San to retreat temporarily, so as not to be sandwiched between the two of them.

The two sides then exchanged several more rounds of matches.

Xiao Wu's movements began to slow down, and neither Zhu Zhuqing nor Osler could maintain their initial speed. Tang San once again successfully entangled one of Dong Jian's legs, and Dong Jian could only stand still to protect the side of the Shi Mo, unable to rush over to counterattack. Both sides still had powerful moves, but the physical strength and Soul Power to continue to use these moves were getting less and less.

Tang San looked at Yu Tianheng again.

The captain was pressing his trembling right hand against Shi Mo's shoulder, while his other hand remained protectively positioned at the front of the team. He delivered his heaviest punch, but did not recklessly push the team forward just because the punch knocked Dai Mubai back.

Tang San did not underestimate the Imperial Fighting Team. If the fight continued, Shrek might still find a breakthrough with their Eight Spider Lances and Blue Silver Grass, but Xiao Wu was clearly unsteady after just one turn, Dai Mubai had gone out of bounds, and the Support System were also running out of steam. If they forced everyone to drag the fight out until their injuries became uncontrollable, the cost would be much greater than the outcome of this battle.

He looked at his teammates.

Xiao Wu nodded. Zhu Zhuqing withdrew her Martial Soul, and Ma Hongjun also stopped charging up his fire. Ning Rongrong and Oscar had made final preparations for replenishing their supplies, but they did not rush them.

Tang San raised his hand.

We concede defeat.

After confirmation by the referee, the winner of the Imperial Fighting Team was declared the victor.

Cheers erupted in the arena, but no one jumped up on Imperial Fighting Team's side. Yu Tianheng leaned against the Shi Mo for a few breaths before slowly raising his head; Dong Jian had already been called away by Ye Lingling to have his shoulder injury checked; Li Man sat beside the array's core, her fingers still trembling slightly.

Tang San walked over, not looking at Dong Jian's black ring first, but at Yu Tianheng's swollen right hand.

"I predict that with that last punch, you'll return to your original position."

Yu Tianheng replied, "I almost went back myself."

Tang San glanced at Li Man again. "You've cut off that path."

Li Man nodded. "Leaving the road open makes it harder for him to walk."

Tang San didn't press the matter further. Grandmaster walked over from the sidelines, first checking the injuries of Tang San and the other Shrek team members, before saying to Qin Ming, "Your team can now choose when to stop."

Qin Ming looked at Yu Tianheng. "These words should be said to them."

The two teams said their goodbyes briefly, and no one suddenly became a friend or foe after the win or loss. When Tang San returned to Shrek's rest area, he flipped through his records again, noting down the choices Imperial Fighting Team made in the final stage, such as deliberately shrinking their formation and abandoning the complete connection.

He knew that if he encountered this team again, he couldn't just focus on Dong Jian, nor could he only target Yu Tianheng.

On the Imperial Fighting Team side, Yu Feng finally couldn't help but ask, "Now they should be champions, right?"

Qin Ming placed the next match-up sheet on the table.

Spirit Hall Academy.

The new opponents list includes several names that coaches from various teams had been discussing repeatedly.

Yu Tianheng looked down at it for a while, then reached out and took the recovery plan that Ye Lingling had just written.

"Treat the injuries first," he said.

"We'll talk about the rest when I can lift my hand again."